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Police Officer

Thomas Ward

St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department — St. Louis, MO

Felonious

End of Watch June 13, 1919

Age 51

Tour of Duty 24 yrs

The Vigil Panel 37 ›

Gender Male

Incident Media Service The Sacrifice Memorials 1 Department 175

Incident

Police Officer Thomas Ward and Lieutenant William Smith were shot and killed after responding to the scene of a bank robbery at the Meramec Trust Company, at the intersection of Meramec Street and Virginia Avenue. A passerby had alerted the officers to the robbery and several officers surrounded the building. As the robbers came an intense shootout erupted. The getaway driver fled the scene, leaving the three armed men alone. A running gun battle took them to a house on Minnesota Street where the men took refuge in the basement of a house. As officers attempted to surround the house both Lieutenant Smith and Officer Ward were shot. The three men were eventually apprehended. During the shooting, a little girl was shot and wounded as she walked out of a nearby church. Officer Ward succumbed to his wounds the following day and Lieutenant Smith succumbed to his wounds one month later. The three suspects were convicted of murder. Two, 23 and 24, were sentenced to life, and the other, age 17, to 30 years. The one sentenced to thirty years was paroled in November of 1935. Three years later he was convicted of possession of counterfeit money and sentenced to five years in federal prison. One sentenced to life died in a prison hospital on April 12, 1942. The other was paroled on June 27, 1946.

Survivors

Officer Ward had been with the agency for 24 years and was survived by his sister.

In Our Keeping

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Added to badge.nw: August 2, 2026
Last updated: August 2, 2026

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Tributes

24 years. You could have gone home.
Police Officer Ward gave the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department 24 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the St. Louis community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Officer Ward.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Department St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department

Type Police Department

Location St. Louis, City of Saint Louis, MO

Platform Identity stlopd.saintlouis.mo.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch June 13, 1919

Tour of Duty 24 yrs

Age 51

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Weapon Gun

The Sacrifice · Felonious

Thomas is one of 15,743 officers killed feloniously in the United States, 57.1% of the 27,551 remembered there.

33,917 officers are remembered on this memorial. Each number below is one of them.

Compare against

Time

In 1919, 212 officers in the United States were killed feloniously, the 7th heaviest of 213 years on record. The heaviest was 1921, with 248.

Every year on record · United States

Who

Thomas was 51. Of the 14,220 killed feloniously in the United States whose age is recorded, half were between 31 and 47; the middle age was 38. Thomas had served 24 years; the middle length of service was 6 years.

Age at death

Where he stood among them

Age by years of service

III

When

June holds 8.1% of these deaths in the United States; December holds the most, 9.4%. Fridays: 14.3%.

By month

By day of the week

How

Felonious deaths account for 57.1% of all 27,551 deaths in the United States, the most common cause. The weapon recorded was gun, in 22.8% of these deaths.

Every cause

Weapons recorded